


Who thinks of you and kisses another?

by Merlins_little_sister



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Camelot, Canon Era, Domestic Merthur, Fluff, Guilty Arthur, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kinda, M/M, Merlin doesn't care about rules, Non-English Source, Not a native speaker of English, Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), arthur is sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26302084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlins_little_sister/pseuds/Merlins_little_sister
Summary: Merlin is having hiccups and Arthur very much wants them gone.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 126





	Who thinks of you and kisses another?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to tumblr user @when-hell-freezesover for proofreading my story and giving me feedback! ❤️
> 
> The whole thing was inspired by something that my mom used to say to me when I was a child. More notes on that at the end. 😁
> 
> This is my second story for this fandom and I am not a native speaker. If you have any comments, feedback or suggestions please leave them below. 
> 
> Consider leaving kudos and/or a comment if you like it.

It was a normal day in Camelot. Servants were running through the castle, busying themselves with tasks given to them by their masters. Guards were patrolling in front of the nobles rooms. Distant chatter from the lower town and it's market square was coming in through the open windows of Arthur's chambers. 

Arthur himself was quite busy as well. As crown prince there was a lot of paperwork that required his attention on a daily basis and the early afternoon hours were usually his favorites for taking care of the matter. He would sit at his desk, while Merlin would scurry around doing chores in Arthurs chambers. Arthur loved watching Merlin work. He was like a little bee, buzzing from flower to flower, back and forth. You never really knew what he would do next because somehow, Merlin had his very own way of dealing with everything. It was almost as if Merlin was doing all chores at the same time instead of one after the other. A rhythm that wouldn't have worked for any other but him. 

Sometimes, Merlin would hum little melodies while doing his work, even more like a little bee. It was not unusual for Arthur to pick up on those melodies, making it impossible for either of them to forget it. Not that they were aware of this. Had anyone shared this moment with the two men, they most likely would have been amused by the domesticity of the picture. 

Arthur found himself far more productive on these days. Stealing glances at his servant was far more energizing than staring out of the window or into the middle distance. 

All in all, it would have been a truly productive and very enjoyable afternoon, had there not been one tiny little noise alongside all the other normal ones. 

"Merlin!" Arthur called out, when he couldn't stand it any longer. Merlin turned around, one knee still on the bed. He had been changing the sheets and Arthur couldn't help but smile. Any other servant would have jumped off the bed, knowing that they never should have been there in the first place, straightened their posture, afraid they could be called out on their mistake. Not so Merlin. Merlin didn't care that he wasn't supposed to crawl onto the bed while changing the sheets. Merlin wasn't any other servant. Merlin was Merlin. 

"Yes, sire?" Merlin answered from his awkward position. 

"Would you stop that?" the crown prince said, trying not to stare at his servant's hands, who continued stroking the sheets in an effort to erase all folds and make them nice and clean. 

"Stop what?" the servant returned the question, stopping his motions and easing his leg off the royal bed. 

"You are having hiccups, Merlin. It's irritating," Arthur explained. "I have work to do and it's impossible to work with you making these noises in the background."

"Believe me Arthur, if I could stop it, I would," the black haired man answered. Then he hiccuped again. 

"MERlin!" Arthur barked out. 

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled, "I know it's annoying but I can't do anything. It's been there for hours and just won't go away." He whined a little, trying to get his point across. The stupid hiccups, meanwhile, seemed to get worse the more Merlin talked.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Arthur responded. He sent his quill flying onto the table. Merlin resumed his chatter. 

"You know what my mom used to say when I had hiccups?" Work time seemed to be over for today. Arthur sighed. 

"Can't wait to hear it," he mumbled more to himself than to his servant, expectantly placing his head into his hands. 

"Who thinks of you and kisses another," Merlin chirped from his position at the bed. Arthur startled a little, causing him to sit more upright in his chair. 

"That's not a real saying, Merlin! Did you just make that up?" He rose from his chair, slowly making his way towards his manservant. The sound of his steps made a strange rhythm together with the sound of Merlin's hiccups. 

"I didn't say it was a saying. I just said my mom used to say it. Don't know if she made it up or if it's an Ealdor thing," Merlin responded. He seemed wary, watching Arthurs every step, as if trying to predict what the blond haired man was about to do. He was mockingly slow in his steps. This couldn't be good. "What are you doing, Arthur?" 

"I am solving this problem for you, since you obviously aren't able to do it without me," Arthur answered, stopping his steps shortly before he reached Merlin. "Tell me, Merlin. What is that even supposed to mean? Who thinks of you and kisses another?" Arthur emphasized the word 'kiss' in a strange way, that Merlin couldn't quite place. 

"If you plan on slapping me, that won't work. This would hardly be surprising enough to stop the hiccups," he said instead. "As for the saying, it means that I am having hiccups, because someone thought of me while kissing someone that wasn't me." Arthur looked shocked, but only for a moment. Then his expression shifted to guilty, before he was back to his usual composed self. 

"Don't be silly. I am not slapping you, MERlin," he responded.

"Really?" Merlin was surprised. 

"NO! And now would you just shut up for a second?" Merlin, for once, did indeed shut up and answered with another hiccup instead. "Good lord," Arthur sighed. Then softer: "Close your eyes," and to his surprise, Merlin, still hiccuping, immediately followed his orders. 

For a split second, Arthur was unsure if he should really do this. Then he lifted up his hands, carefully placing them on either side of Merlin's head. He did another step in Merlin's direction, so that he was standing right in front of him. Merlin's breath quickened at the unexpected touch and Arthur could feel the other man's breath on his own face. Merlin smelled like mint, bread and soap, he noticed absently. Arthur traced the lines of Merlin's face with his thumbs, starting at Merlin's forehead, over his eyebrows, nose, his eyes, his cheeks, before finally landing on Merlin's lips. Neither of them said a word. Then Arthur leaned in and pressed his own lips onto Merlin's. Just for a second, and then he stepped out of his friend's space again. "Was that,..." he started, unsure what to say. "Was that alright?" 

"More than alright," Merlin answered. His voice was coarse and deep, like Arthur had never heard it before. Slowly, he opened his eyes again. "And it was unexpected indeed. My hiccups are gone now. Thank you for that," he smiled at Arthur, who could do nothing but stare at those beautiful lips that he had just kissed.

"You are welcome, Merlin. After all, I seem to be the one who caused this. It was only fair of me to end it."

***

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> What my mom used to say to me when I was a child is:  
> "Wer denkt an dich und küsst 'ne andere/'nen anderen?"  
> My native language is German and the translation for this sentence is what Merlin says in the story: "Who thinks of you and kisses another?" Just like Merlin, I don't know if this is a real German saying or if that's just something that was considered a saying in my family.
> 
> So, if you are German like me, than let me know if you know this saying or not! Thank you so much.


End file.
